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Why are you giggling?
St. Frances is tickling my chin. My tabby cat, she added. Named after St. Frances de Sales, not A ssisi. He was a medieval bishop, the one who said Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.
A nd what saint-like, gentle qualities does your St. Frances have?
He doesnt hurt anything, not even bugs, unless its an accidental squishing when he lies down. He catches creatures all the time, but he holds them so gently in his mouth theyre still alive when he brings them to me. One morning I woke up to find an ibis strutting about the kitchen. When he catches chipmunks, he lays them on the linoleum and then looks puzzled as to why theyre cowering there.
Like cat, like Mistress. Marguerite told me youre the official bug catch-and-release officer at work.
You asked about me?
She mentioned that at the wedding reception, when one of your customers brought up stories about things that happen at Tea Leaves. He paused at her silence. Its not that I didnt want to learn all about you, Chloe. I wanted to learn it from you. A nd Margueriteshe pointed out if you werent interested, Id only be tormenting myself if I asked her all these questions about you.
There was more to it than that, she could sense it in his voice, but before she could pursue it, he switched topics. Since she was drifting in a dreamworld, not wanting any unpleasant reality to intrude, she let it go.
A ferry boat captain? he pressed. Gen said youd also dated a biker. No wonder you havent called me. A drama teachers pretty boring compared to all that.
Yeah, didnt you hear me yawn earlier? Rescuing me from my nightmares with out-of-this-world phone sex and talking to me in French. Geez, it doesnt get duller than that. Idiot. She cradled the phone under her head, her eyes drooping despite herself. Tell me more about being a drama professor. If I was going to walk into your class, whats the first thing wed do?
If you walked into my class?
Brendan. She snorted. If I was a brand new student.
Well She heard some rustling, and imagined him turning on his side, still naked, his damp cock against his thigh, his dark hair brushing his shoulders. The moonlight would be filtering through his windows, kissing every curve and plane of his lean body. We warm up with facial exercises.
I have them grin, really wide. Scream. Screw up their faces tight and release them after thirty seconds. There are so many muscles in the face that give away expression. You have to exaggerate them for the stage, but it helps to know how to do it minutely as well, if you plan to act for film.
Chloe scrunched up her face, held it, and released. Wow. Its like doing yoga or isometrics for your face.
Try a big, exaggerated clown smile, take it down to a quick smile, then a faint one, as if youre not really happy, but youre going through the motions. Then back to the big one again.
Okay She laughed. Its hard. You have to concentrate. Like trying to pat your head and rub your stomach.
Youre training your muscles to respond on command, versus instinct. Once you get that down, you go back to instinct, only instead of responding to emotional stimulus, youre cued by lines, the tone of the scene.
I bet your female students imagine you naked when you talk like this. I get the perk of knowing you are.
Youre not focusing, he said in mock offense.
Ooh, a stern tone. A nd I am too. This is really interesting.
A s interesting as getting to blow a ferry captains foghorn?
She laughed outright but snuggled into the blankets, folding her arms across herself like a bat, scooching St. Frances down lower into the cradle of her lap. For your information, I didnt blow his foghorn. Or anything else. It was one of those casual dates that turned into friendship.
He must have been blind, or stupid. Not saying that being your friend wouldnt be great, but if a man could have more, hed be crazy not to go for it.
Maybe he discovered I was too crazy. She sobered. You know what you said, the faint smile, going through the motions? Ive been doing that for awhile. Sometimes Ive wondered, if I do the fake smiles long enough, will it become like you said, an instinctive learned response, but nothing I really feel?
Youve been real with me tonight. You havent forgotten how to feel.
How do you know?
Because some people are great actors. Youre not, Chloe. Youre as genuine and without artifice as they come. What you feel, its in your voice.
A nd you can feel and be whatever you want to be with me, he added.
Charmer. Youre just hoping to get lucky.
